Chevrolet Camaro as EcoCAR 3 AVTC competition car

US Department of Energy and General Motors has announced the EcoCAR 3 competition with 16 participating universities and Chevrolet Camaro as the competition vehicle. “EcoCAR is an opportunity for the next generation of automotive engineers to help design and build innovative advanced vehicles that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment and save American families and businesses money at the pump,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Through this competition, North American students gain valuable real-life experience that they can use to bring the auto industry into the cleaner energy future.”

Participating university teams will need to come up with solutions, which when compared to stock car will produce results in the field of reduced energy consumption and well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions apart from tailpipe emissions. Aspects of performance, utility, and safety are high priority. Energy and environmental goals are to be met while being cost effective and innovative.

Students will use industry-leading software tools and advanced powertrain components while faced with engineering design constraints and technical challenges that automakers face. New for EcoCAR 3, organizers have included cost constraints and automotive innovation as additional judging criteria.

“The EcoCAR programs have been and will continue to be an instrumental part of developing the next generation of automotive engineers. We have gained significant talent and intellectual property as a result of these programs,” said James Kolhoff, global chief engineer and program manager, transmission controllers and powertrain electronics at General Motors. “We’re also eager to see how the students will redesign and add more efficiency to an iconic ‘muscle car’ like the Chevrolet Camaro.”

University teams will resort to multiple engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, computer and software engineering, as well as communications, marketing, and project management. Established by the Energy Department and GM, and managed by Argonne National Laboratory, EcoCAR 3 is the latest Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) aimed at developing next gen automotive engineers. The 4-year program concludes in the summer of 2018.

EcoCAR 3 includes both new teams and veterans to the AVTC. Schools chosen are:

Arizona State University — Tempe, Ariz.
California State University – Los Angeles
Colorado State University — Fort Collins, Colo.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University — Daytona Beach, Fla.
Georgia Tech — Atlanta
McMaster University — Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Mississippi State University — Starrkville, Miss.
The Ohio State University — Columbus, Ohio
Pennsylvania State University – University Park, Pa.
University of Alabama — Tuscaloosa, Ala.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
University of Washington, Seattle
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, Va.
Wayne State University — Detroit
West Virginia University — Morgantown, WVa

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